How pathetic ...

Nothing says “I’m a clinically insecure, pathetic excuse for an adult” more clearly than stories like this one and others like it. I can see why the oppression of women in non-liberalized Islam is appealing to such men. Their insecurity and weakness of character and fear are validated, even lionized, and institutionalized.

How strikingly pathetic. Muslims had better hope the liberalized versions of Islam correct such drastic failings of the doctrine and make the religion more palatable to reasonably psychologically healthy people.

I followed the link before reading the comment. I feel awful, but the sheer ridiculousness of this made me laugh out loud. Then I read the comment and I agree, however, the absurdity of this still makes me chuckle a little.

I followed the link before reading the comment. I feel awful, but the sheer ridiculousness of this made me laugh out loud. Then I read the comment and I agree, however, the absurdity of this still makes me chuckle a little.

I’m not sure why you’d feel bad, it’s absolutely laughable. It’s borderline disgusting on it’s face (very disgusting when you consider the life to which these profoundly insecure men relegate women), but so pathetic and feeble it’s also laughable.

Until you realize the results.

It’s a lot like the utter vapidity displayed so often by hard core religious right wing theocrats here in the US. It can be hilarious ... then you remember they’re allowed to vote ... and almost certainly do.

Byron

Reason is to understanding as theory is to music, and critical thinking as mastery of theory.

“We say, ‘Love your brother.’ We don’t say it really, but… well we don’t literally say it. We don’t really, literally mean it. No, we don’t believe it either. But that message should be clear.”—David St. Hubbins/Nigel Tufnel

How about strapping the husband to a chair like Malcolm McDowell in “A Clockwork Orange,” and forcing him to watch CGI movies that depict his wife having glorious eight-way sex with men of all nations? Would that drive him certifiably insane?

Here we find a key to undermining Islam. Empowerment of women. The mullahs aren’t scared half as much of blustery halfwit American presidents as they are of Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s potential to influence a generation of young Arabic women.

Or we can use Carstonio’s idea. That sounds highly entertaining. Perhaps (in reference to an earlier post) we can add “Oh, Dawkins!” into the audio track at appropriate moments.

He who is not a misanthrope at forty can never have loved mankind -Chamfort

in the West, women have been reduced almost to a commodity of enjoyment and fancy.

Kope - I’ve been sitting here writing and re-writing a response to this. I give up. How in the world do you come up with this stuff? I mean really, whats next? Will you be telling us that all Jew’s have tails and that you can get AIDS from a toilet seat?

in the West, women have been reduced almost to a commodity of enjoyment and fancy.

... in the deeply insecure, twisted mind of Islam. Yes, clearly.

But Islam’s distorted perceptions are by no means universal or interculturally or in any other way binding. Muslim men see meat when they see women who aren’t essentially hidden from them, most Americans see people who are female (more or less).

I can’t claim we don’t have our own share of deeply perverted and clinically insecure people, but at least for the most part it’s discouraged or at least not condoned (and potentially treated), and compared to the Islamic status quo, even most American churches have a fairly healthy attitude regarding women.

I realize when men are used to being kept in line only by authority and have little or no capacity for genuine self-discipline it’s tough to imagine dealing with women “as if” they’re people when they’re actually open about being women and don’t hide their feminine attributes, but with even slight maturation it’s not hard to learn civilized behavior, even when people are free to be who they really are.

Byron

Reason is to understanding as theory is to music, and critical thinking as mastery of theory.

“We say, ‘Love your brother.’ We don’t say it really, but… well we don’t literally say it. We don’t really, literally mean it. No, we don’t believe it either. But that message should be clear.”—David St. Hubbins/Nigel Tufnel

in the West, women have been reduced almost to a commodity of enjoyment and fancy.

It seems to me that Islam has reduced women to a commodity. They are “given” in marriage. Their freedom is limited to the point of imprisonment. Their opinions are not valued. They are used for sex and to bear children. They are ruled by their husbands, whom they have not chosen, and by the laws created by men. And now, if one even looks at another man on television without her husband, she is divorced (without recourse), which in Muslim society is, I’m sure, tantamount to complete disgrace.

Yes, some American men do treat women badly. But the difference is that mistreatment of women is not codified as part of the law. Can Islam claim the same?

We are not talking about the behavior of individuals. In any society, there will be some individuals who behave badly with respect to the basic human rights of others. We are talking about the precepts of the society and culture as a whole. The precepts of Islam result in the subjugation of women; the precepts of Islam require the subjugation of women.

Some women are raped or dare to occupy the same room with a man unsupervised, and are then stoned to death for the offense.

Hmmm.

A functional mind can’t fail to recognize the absurdity of the claim that women are treated better in the Muslim sphere than in the Christian.

This is why I usually just recognize the futility of trying to have any kind of honest dialog with someone who’s acutely inflicted with the faith virus right up front and pass. They’re thoroughly unburdened with reality and the fact that their “beliefs” bear it little resemblance. When someone displays such fundamental intellectual corruption there’s just no point in attempting genuine dialog.